African-American Education Fund

Fresno Regional Foundation offers a diverse range of Special Interest Funds. The African-American Education Fund (AAEF) is the newest one to join that list. AAEF was established with the goal to advance educational aspirations of African-Americans in the Central Valley, with a focus on higher education and workforce development that will lead to gainful employment in the global economy.

African Americans Represent

12 Percent of the US Population

13 percent of US high school graduates (9,460 of the total 70,376)

But Numbers drop by almost 50 percent for College Graduates

7 percent of college graduates (3,291 out of 41,743 Bachelors’ Degrees attained)

Advancing the educational aspirations of African-Americans in the Central Valley

The Launch of the Fund

The chairman of the Fresno United Negro College Fund, Robert Mitchell, MD, along with local board members Richard Keyes and Eric Payne, approached FRF Board Member Allysunn Walker-Williams to create the African American Education Fund at Fresno Regional Foundation.

Fresno Regional Foundation Board Member, Allysunn Williams,

with local high school senior, Kayland Harrison. Kayland talks

about his plans to attend Stanford University in the fall.

$25,000 Match from FRF by June 2013

The plan is to make $25,000 in education and job training-related grants to eligible students, and an additional $25,000 will seed the endowment of AAEF.